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Wednesday, May 31, 2017

I've been hearing about Enlightened Ice Cream a lot lately but was unable to find it. Finally, I passed by the frozen section in the grocery store and saw the ice cream bars.

People were saying that it was better than Halo Top and thems fightin' words! We decided on Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl because chocolate is the easiest to screw up when you're trying to do the healthy thing.

Let's take a peek at the nutritional info...

Here's their schpiel...

Here's a comp of what the real thing looks like compared to the box. You can judge for yourself on that one.

So how did it taste?

Have you ever eaten PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter? This is like eating that in cold bar form. If you're wondering if that's a good thing, not necessarily because PB2 is more like an add-in for smoothies and stuff but it's not super tasty on its own. As far as the chocolate, I didn't taste a hint of it at all. I took one bite and then gave the Mr a bite and unfortunately we both had the same thought on where they were going to go...

I wanted to love them but nope. I like that they have a good source of protein and wouldn't steer people away from them. I might give the mint ones a try because it's really hard to mess up mint but hoped they'd do chocolate justice but that didn't happen. If you find them on sale, consider giving them a try. Just because we didn't like them doesn't mean you won't especially given how many people have declared their love for them so we're obviously in the minority.

Have you tried any Enlightened ice cream and if so, did you like it?

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Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Now that the unofficial start to summer is here, you might be thinking of ways to get yer @ss in gear...literally. Here is a lower body circuit workout that will have those buns burnin' in no time!

Sumo Squats- Stand with your feet wide, toes pointing out. Bend your knees, lowering your hips as deep as is comfortable, so your thighs are parallel with the floor, making sure to keep your weight back on your heels. Then rise back up, straightening the legs completely and squeezing the glutes at the top of the movement pushing the hips forward slightly.

Lunges- Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle, keeping your knee behind your toes, making sure your other knee doesn't touch the floor. Keep the weight in your heels as you push back up to the starting position and repeat on the other side for one rep.

Lateral Jumps- Start in a small squat. Jump sideways to the left, landing on your left leg and crossing your right leg behind you. Jump to the right with and land on your right leg to complete one rep.

Side Squat Walk- Stand with feet directly underneath your hips, abs, and glutes tight. Squat halfway down and sidestep to the right as far as you can while keeping your core completely straight up and down. Bring the left leg toward the right and repeat for 3-4 side steps and back for one rep. Keep your pelvis straight and avoid rocking your body and pelvis as you walk.

Curtsy Lunges- From a standing position, step your left leg behind you and to the right so your thighs cross, bending both knees as if you were curtsying. Make sure your front knee is aligned with your front ankle then return to standing, and switch sides to complete one rep.

Ski Squats- Stand with your feet touching. Bend your knees, lowering your hips deeply, making your thighs parallel with the floor if you can. Keep weight back on your heels. Then stand back up, straightening the legs completely, squeezing the glutes and repeat.

Good Mornings- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and place your hands on the back of your head with your elbows opened wide. Pull in your abs and keep your back neutral while pressing your butt backward, hinging forward at the hips, until your back is almost parallel to the floor. Keep a slight bend in your knees as you bend forward. Return to standing, squeezing your glutes when you are upright.Squat Hops- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Start by doing a regular squat, then as you come up, jump 1-2" off the ground. (Or just come up on the toes to keep it low impact) When you land, lower back into the squat position and repeat.

Reverse Lunges- Stand with feet together. Take a large step backward with your left foot. Lower your hips so that your front leg (right thigh) goes parallel to the floor and your right knee is directly over your ankle. Keep your left knee bent at 90-degrees and pointing toward the floor. Step the left foot in, and lunge back with the right foot to repeat on the other side.

Hamstring Curls- Standing with your feet slightly further than hip distance apart, curl the left leg to the left glute returning the left foot to the ground. Then repeat on the other leg to complete one rep.

Single Leg Deadlift- Bend your torso forward as you lengthen your right leg behind you. Reach your arms overhead for balance as your torso and leg come parallel to the floor. Keep your left knee slightly bent. Hold this position for a moment to challenge your balance. Slowly come to a standing position and repeat with the other leg to complete one rep.

Stretch!

(This information is for general purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always consult your doctor before beginning any training or lifestyle program.)

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Monday, May 29, 2017

In between the burgers and dogs, enjoying the sunshine (hopefully!) and time with family and friends and all of the things that come with the first three day weekend of the warmer months, remember why we have today off.

If you have a friend or family member who served that you would like to shout out in the comments, feel free to recognize them on this special day of remembrance. We are the home of the free because of the brave.

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Friday, May 26, 2017

Ever since I was a kid, I was petrified of the possibility of having to ever jump start my car. I think I probably watched some B horror movie as a kid that showed me the possibilities of danger lurking anywhere. (Same reason I don't cook with gas. As a chef friend of ours said when I said I didn't know why I was afraid to cook with it..."maybe it's because of da kaboom?") I had a Dodge that was known for having electrical problems when it wasn't run on a regular basis and I would come out to a dead battery more times than I could count.

When the Mr got his Anker car charger, that dude would look for cars in distress in parking lots because he loved it so much. He insisted I get one too but the one he found for me was a little different and doubled as a flashlight. He said if I was stranded somewhere, he wanted me to have it on me. That's fine. Then I forgot about it. When I was on my way out the door for a chiro appointment, I noticed my door wasn't unlocking. Great. Totally dead. The Mr's factory battery died 3 months prior and now it was my turn. Thankfully he was home when it happened so I grabbed his car. But when I got back, he said it was time to show me how to jump it before he drove it over to get the battery replaced.

If you already know how to do this, you can skip it. If you're a scaredy cat like me, this might just make you feel a little better.

Here's the positive connection...

Making sure on my particular model that the cables are not plugged into the unit, attach the red to the positive connection.

Then clip the black to the negative.

All ready to roll.

Now plug the cables into the power generator part of the unit so the risk of getting jolted is zero.

Clickaroo!

The green light will flash ready but the Mr says he always has to hit the black boost button so he hits that first.

Then he turns the ignition and voila...it starts!

Now the important part to this particular unit, you MUST disconnect it within 30 seconds so no farting around in the car with the radio or A/C. Go out and unplug the unit from the cables and remove them from the connections and you're done! Give it a drive around the block to get the juice flowing but it's that easy! It stays charged for 3 months and holds the charge well even in cold weather.

Now I don't know if they can't keep my model in stock or not but it's currently unavailable. I'm going to keep checking to see if they get it back in stock and if they do, I'll link to it. In the meantime, I did a little research and here is a comparable one (affiliate link) that is small and can provide great peace of mind if you're going on a road trip or sending a kid off to college in the Fall.

Do you feel a little skittish when jump starting your car?

(This post contains an affiliate link. Should you buy through it, I may get a small commission to help cover blog costs. You da man! (Or woman!))

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Thursday, May 25, 2017

On a grocery refill weekend, the Mr and I found ourselves in Trader Joe's. We also look at the samples to see if there's anything and whatever they had out on one side of the counter didn't appeal to me but I saw a drink on the right. It said guava tea and knowing how the Mr likes flavored teas, I mentioned it to him. He said no thanks and we kept walking. I said "oh, okay." Then he decided to go grab a cup. He excitedly ran over and said, "this isn't hot, it's cold but taste this and tell me what it reminds you of!" I took a sip and it tasted just like our beloved Aloha Maid drink from Hawaii. I told him that cup was now mine, go get his own and grab a bottle of it.

Here's a peek at the nutritional info...

Here's their description of the product...

The next day we were having a BBQ beef sammie and some oven baked fries so it seemed like the perfect compliment.

The verdict?

I'll tell you right now, I'm not a flavored tea person especially where fruit is concerned but this stuff is AWESOME! I don't taste tea at all really. It tastes like pure guava to me but it's not overpowering. It's the perfect refreshing summertime drink and since that unofficially kicks off this holiday weekend, it might be only right you swing by your local Trader Joe's and pick some up!

The only "con" is the guava does settle so you might want to keep a spoon or straw handy to give things a stir between sips. It's not enough of an annoyance to keep me away though.

(If you don't have a TJ's near you, I suspect you could brew up some tea and grab some guava nectar from the Spanish section of your grocery store and get the same effect.)

Do you like flavored tea?

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Wednesday, May 24, 2017

When we booked our trip to Toronto, I knew I wanted to stay downtown so that we'd have the option to walk wherever we wanted or hop on the transit system if we were feeling adventurous. (Yes, that counts as adventurous for us.) After perusing Expedia, I found the hotel in our price range and location sweet spot in the Financial District which is close to all of the other artsy districts but typically less busy at night, The Intercontinental Toronto Centre. For three nights at that time of year, it cost $512 total with taxes.

We were in room 2020 which is a two queen room.

We booked a king room but were thankfully informed when we were checking in that it was by the elevator. Uh...no. This was the only other room they had available* since they were apparently booked due to several conventions so we took it. One for play, one for sleep. HA!

There's a nice sized TV in the room when you're ready to kick back for the night.

There is a nice work area if business is your purpose with lots of USB ports and plugs at the desk so you can plug in all of your chargers and gadgets.

We loved the little settee by the window so we could city watch at night. I know...creepers.

In between the beds was the main night stand that had a working (!) iPod dock with really good sound, your phone to call down with any questions and of course your obligatory pad, pen and remote. Also a plug for chargers or whatever there in the middle.

The bathroom was standard and it has a scale if you'd like to curse your food choices of the day.

The shower thankfully looked good. We've stayed in some high end hotels and the showers look like a before shot for a mold and mildew spray commercial or caulk peeling away.

It comes with a nice little coffee/tea station for your morning cuppa as well as the Bible in case you need to cleanse any sins you may have committed in the room.

They "thoughtfully" provide you with evil temptations in the form of a snack bar tray. Would you like a Kit Kat Chunky that you would've paid $.99 for at Rexall? That'll be $5 please! It promptly went onto the upper shelf in the closet never to be seen again until our departure.

They did have two recycle bins next to it though and heavily encourage recycling which is nice to see and we were more than happy to oblige.

They do have a mini fridge stocked with the usual suspects.

They provide you with one robe and one pair of slippers. I just can't. I don't know whose been in those before me but nice that they do it for those who aren't easily skeeved. Plus, let's get real. Those robes usually fit someone half my size so I would've gotten a real ego boost trying it to see 1/3 of my body hanging out.

But thankfully a nice iron this time and an ironing board. There's also a safe and few drawers if you want to put your laptop out of sight.

I must admit, I did love waking up to this view every day!

Oh yeah, so here's our view looking left out the window...

...and here's our view looking right.

You can see by the arrow how close Union Station is in case you're coming in by rail. For those who may be worried about noise being so close to the train station, we didn't hear a thing the entire time!

Now we'll get to the other stuff.

While I appreciate the nice toiletries and abundance of extras, we were missing a glass. It wasn't a big deal and not really worth calling about but this was hint one of the rush job done on the bathroom.

The second hint was the myriad of hairs both on the counter top and in the shower. I didn't take a picture of those because I was doing good not to dry heave and didn't need the reminder. I'm skeevy about hair especially other peoples and from unidentified parts of the body. Oh and a tip...ALWAYS wash your drinking glasses at hotels! Article after article confirms they often get a rinse and then tipped upside down. Gross. I'm not saying that happened here, I don't think it did but I washed it anyway because I'm not risking it.

The full length mirror that takes up a nice chunk of real estate had very obviously not been cleaned in a long time. (In order to see the spots, look at the backpack. The spots and drips are all on the mirror.)

I know that seems small in the scheme of things but it's all over the mirror and really, it takes 30 seconds to go top to bottom. If you're not cleaning the bathroom to its full potential then at least clean the mirror.

Here's a peek at the price list if you'd like room service.

$21 for oatmeal!?!? $23 for pancakes!? Um, no thanks. Oh and that was before the other fees on top of it to deliver it and stuff. Thank God, I brought our Hot Logic Mini (affiliate link) and we were able to have both on two separate mornings for about $7 for both of us compared to $100 if we'd eaten the above mentioned two days in a row.

I was on the floor doing PT and wished I'd put down a towel. When you're down that close to carpet, you see a lot of hair that has become woven into the fibers. There isn't much that can be done about this obviously but be aware if you're going to be on the floor of any hotel.

The beds. Holy hell. If you need a medium to plush experience like I do, this room is not for you. Both beds were like concrete and I felt like Zelda from Pet Sematary (affiliate link) every morning. Firm as firm can be.

Parking is $45 per night at the time of writing plus tax and some other fee so it was $51 per night for valet. This included in and out privileges so you just call down like 10 minutes before you need the car and for us it was worth it. You can do self park for $30 but that's if you plan to walk the city or take transit because there are no in and out privileges on that one.

Internet is not free unless you're a rewards member which is free to join so we did prior to going. Even though we booked through Expedia, we called the hotel and linked up our reward number and verified the free internet perk. These rewards are part of other hotel chains like Holiday Inn, Kimpton boutique hotels and Candlewood Suites so it's probably a good idea to sign up if you stay at any of those places regularly. Now the free internet is basically for surfing. We were able to stream our workouts but not a great quality. You have to pay I think $10/day for the good stuff.

*- Speaking of booking through Expedia. I have used them and Hotels.com to save some dough and let me tell you while it is nice to save money, I have a pretty good feeling that they save the less desirous rooms for those customers whether it's this or any other hotel chain. Any time we've not booked through the hotel, the rooms we get are always interesting. Like the original booked room being by an elevator (and the front desk dude being nice enough to inform us of that) but this room had it's quirks as well. While we were thankful we were not connected to other rooms due to a utility room on one side and room housing the smoke damper on the other, those rooms made their share of pipe clanging noises that were irritating at first but easy to get used to. Especially when you consider taking that over the sound of screaming kids or couples or couples in the throes of God knows what, God knows when. At 7am during the weekdays, some noise that sounded like a train barreling through the room would happen for about a full minute. We suspect it was the damper room since that's where the noise came from. Though we did have fun making up stories of what it could be between trains and an industrial sized smoothie machine.

All in all, we really enjoyed our stay here. We've certainly stayed in worse at high end hotels so I'm not complaining about the few annoyances. We would stay here again if we came back. There are so many things that are walkable from the hotel including great restaurants, markets and shopping.

If you want to see how we spent our time in Toronto, click here to see our adventures.

(This post contains an affiliate link. If you choose to buy through it, I may get a small commission at no cost to you to help keep the blog up and running.)

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Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Niagara-on-the-Lake is an adorable little Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where Lake Ontario meets the Niagara River. We went there back in 2010 and I've been getting the itch to go back ever since. When I saw we'd be passing right by there on our way back from Toronto, you can bet I put it on the itinerary!

In the center of town is this statue of playwright George Bernard Shaw.

ShawFest runs every April through October showing plays, talks from guest speakers, ghost tours and a host of other activities. I'm not sure what the connection is with this town but they seem to immerse themselves in all things Shaw over the sunnier months and if it gives you an excuse to visit, go for it!

The town is quaint with all kinds of specialty stores, restaurants and B&B's if you'd like an extended stay.

As you can see it had rained when we went there but thankfully stopped when we got there so the streets weren't crowded at all and it was a Saturday.

If you have some showers, consider yourself lucky since it seems to keep the people at bay. Just grab an umbrella...you may be sweet but you ain't made of sugah, you won't melt! ;-)

Some of the stores are a little funky but memorable.

It's a town to get your fill of their amazing wines and pay the premium for the Icewine or at least do a tasting while you're there! We both loathe wine but love Icewine. SO good but it's also when my inner cheapskate tends to win out.

They also do a great job hitting the sweet tooth. We parked in front of Maple Leaf Fudge and when I saw they had Penuche (brown sugar) Fudge, we HAD to get a slice.

Oh my Lord. We were trying to justify a way to get the buy three get one free deal in our heads but given we already had the sugar sweats after a 1/4 of a slice, we thought better of it. SOOO good! (I just wish they kept it wrapped though because the outside at any fudge place like this is always harder and makes you feel a little gypped.)

Down the street was a retro candy store called Olde Tyme Candy Shoppe. They had new candy of course but also some great favorites from childhood and Jelly Belly even manufactures Icewine jelly beans for the area!

I seriously regret not getting some of those to try but probably better I didn't because if they were really good, I would've walked out with 1/2 lb and would've been 20 minutes away from turning into the Great Cornholio on a sugar rant.

We went across the street to The Scottish Loft which has food imports from England, Wales and of course Scotland. In case you're a Curly Wurly (aka Marathon Bar) fan from back in the day like the Mr, they had the best price on them. Also, because I'm a petulant 7 year old boy at heart...

I was so happy to see my favorite store was still there, Cecile's Home & Gifts.

It's a cute shop but I think the first time I saw it, the big French provincial decorating craze was just about to hit. Now that it's been a little overdone, I was only slightly less impressed this time. They do have a ton of soaps and skin care products and after a sales pitch on several different kinds of soap, the Mr purchased some teak wood soap for his shaving ritual and it smells so good I want to attack him. (In a good way, of course.)

Lots of tea testers to sniff and the prices seemed to be pretty decent for the bags. They had some cute accessories to make the coffee or tea lover in your life over the moon.

Should you find yourself needing a grocery store to pick up a few necessities like better prices on more common candy to the region, there's a Valu-Mart.

There is a pretty nice 9 hole golf course there but since it was cold and we're not golfer so we drove by it. There are places to sit and watch the water or even driving the neighborhood to ogle the gorgeous homes is a fun activity.

Whether you're picking up a bite to eat or touring a winery, Niagara on the Lake is a cute little side trip if you find yourself in the Niagara Falls or Toronto area.

[A side note: parking is limited and they make their money on parking tickets. We should know, we got one in 2010. They have one of those central parking permit kiosks you have to buy through and not meters. Here's a map of the streets and parking times so you don't have to learn the hard way.]

Have you ever been to Niagara on the Lake?

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Monday, May 22, 2017

When we booked a trip to go see a show in Toronto, we added an extra day so that we would have a full 48 hours to explore a bit. I know we didn't hit everything there was to see but we feel like we hit the things that were most important to us and I'll try to give links to things that will help you if you're planning a trip there as well.

We stumbled upon this Toronto sign in the middle of the city.

The sign was actually made as part of the City of Toronto's Host City Showcase Program to celebrate the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. It's in Nathan Phillips Square at the time of writing. Here's a good article giving a little more info about the sign.

This was taken as we drove into the city around the lake from the Niagara area. The skyline has changed quite a bit since the opening shot of our favorite Toronto based show Forever Knight (affiliate link) was filmed 25 years ago. Oy.

We've been to a few Chinatown's including San Francisco. While Toronto's isn't quite as flashy, it did have its own unique flavor. This page can help you properly explore this area.

There are a few shopping meccas in the city including CF Toronto Eaton Centre and Yonge Dundas Square which is kind of like their version of NYC's Times Square. If you're into shopping and hustle and bustle, this area is for you!

It's kind of crazy, there are murals everywhere, which I love, but there is also a massive graffiti problem covering every square inch. I'm not talking art or tagging but what in our area would be perceived as gang turf wars ruining beautiful buildings or over top of murals. It appears they don't try to cover it up or remove it either I know there are a few readers from there if you can comment on it. Maybe it's just more accepted there or the cost is too high to remove it?

This pic isn't even a good example of it as murals and graffiti seem to coexist here but I didn't get pics of defaced buildings

If you're looking to park your car and take the streetcars throughout the city, here's the website you'll need for schedules, fares, etc.

We were there to see Gene Kelly: The Legacy at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. It was a nice, mid sized venue that looks like it has some good performances coming up. I will say if you are tall, position yourself on an end if you can because the seats are pretty close and it's been recently remodeled so that's not changing anytime soon. Parking was $12 at the time.

When we came out from the show, we had a beautiful shot of downtown showing off.

We explored the city by foot but the Mr wanted to see Union Station since there was a picture of it in our hotel room from the 1930's. The outside was really beautiful.

Unfortunately, at the time, they were undergoing serious remodeling and it literally looked like a warehouse in there. If you're taking VIA Rail Canada over to Toronto, here's the website you'll need to plan your ride. (Our hotel in this Wednesday's post was about 2-3 blocks from here so it'd be a good place to stay!)

Toronto is home to the Hockey Hall of Fame. We're not fans (ducking pucks) but I had to take a pic for the friends of mine who are.

I really enjoyed our visit to St. Lawrence Market which was a nice walkable distance from our hotel. It wasn't in our calorie allowance to have a "peameal bacon sandwich" which is touted quite heavily here but apparently this is the place to grab one. Lots of great fresh meat and produce vendors.

We needed a bit of a breather from the city and knowing us like I do, I planned for that.

The Scarborough Bluffs area is just stunning. It was the perfect place for a chilly picnic as there were lots of picnic tables and we got to see some beautiful scenery. It was just what we needed to renew our city weary souls at that point in the trip.

I'm gonna be honest, I don't know what the hell this big ass bird is by the convention centre and the internet isn't much help to me on that. If you know what it is, chime in or run screaming in case it comes to life.

The CN Tower was close to us and of course we had to at least strain our necks to gawk at it. We really went back and forth on whether or not to go up in it but we were on the 20th floor of our hotel and figured for the price the view might not be too much different.

It might be right up your alley though especially if you're a daredevil and want to do the EdgeWalk. Peruse the website and see if you've got the nads to do it. (I thought about it...then I didn't.)

If you've followed me for any length of time, you know our vacations involve trying to work movie locations into the mix. A lot of movies were filmed in Toronto including one of our 80's faves, Police Academy (affiliate link) where the Blue Oyster Bar and the police academy were.

Bring lots of money. Don't get excited, this price is per liter, not gallon at the time. What would've cost us $30 in the US cost us $50 there.

Obligatory Hard Rock Cafe for those of you who still collect the shirts/merch.

This was the view from our final night in the hotel. We did love just sitting at the settee by the window and city watch. I don't know what we thought was going to happen but we do the same thing in Chicago when we stay on Michigan Ave.

Some places I wanted to go but we didn't have the time or the weather on our side were:

This should give you a good array of things to see and do when in Toronto should you decide to go. I hope you enjoyed tagging along!

(This post contains a few affiliate links. Should you choose to buy through them, I may receive a small commission to help with blog expenses. Thanks for being awesome!)
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I've lost over 200 lbs the old fashioned way with some more to go. I'm doing this with my hubby (The Mr) and he has lost 190 lbs so far. I wanted to share my journey as well and give people with a lot of weight to lose hope that this can be done without surgery or cutting out entire food groups! Passionate about photography, cooking, traveling, DIY and anything 80's.

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